A Visit to the 100 Acre Wood
by Time Thief
Summary: [Post KH3 and references spoilers] After all is said and done, Riku opens a storybook and dives into a world he's never seen. He meets colorful characters including a peculiar bear with a sad problem.


The orange sherbet blend of Twilight Town's everlasting sunset splashed onto Riku's path. The clinking of forks against porcelain plates and glasses against tables drifted from the corner Bistro.

As laughter flitted about him like cheery songbirds, he wondered if he was doing the right thing by coming here. He twisted his hand around his other glove. He was faceblind to the chipper citizens of the town; his focus fell to his feet, and it remained there as he slid onto one of the metal chairs. Steam drifted upwards from a cup of black tea across the table.

Merlin pushed his glasses up his nose, and the lenses reflected the sunset's flare. He asked too many questions, as per usual. How was the battle, is everyone doing alright, did the training pay off for Kairi and Axel, oh, and where was Sora? His little friends were anxious to see him again.

"About that," Riku said. "I was wondering if you'd let me see that book. It's a request from Sora."

Merlin was frozen for a moment. Riku hoped he wouldn't call out his deflection or tell him off for being rude in Merlin's usual, grandfatherly way. The wizard reached behind his chair, leaned over his tea, and slid a leather-bound tome towards Riku. Merlin said, "Take your time."

The book's cover displayed a red-shirted bear with fur the color of goldenrod stargazing alone on a log. Riku reached forward, hesitated, and unlocked the clasp. The crisp pages flipped of their own accord, rustling the scent of musky paper, mulberry trees, and blossoming flowers. Riku closed his eyes for the mesmerizing aromas. In the next moment, he was falling.

He landed face-first onto soft dirt, and blades of grass tickled his skin. He pushed onto his knee and brushed off his clothes. There was something… wrong… with his hands. He watched the grass through the holes between his fingers, but black surrounded them. He tried to swat it off. His touch phased through the outline.

Riku squinted through the now smaller spread of his hands at the sky. Despite the clear, blue day, the pair of unmoving clouds were tinted a dark yellow – almost like parchment. The clouds were marked with black scratches like they had been sketched to life.

"Hello, sir!"

The soft voice stole his attention. Riku dropped his hand to his side and looked around. There was no one in sight.

"Um, excuse me! Down here!"

His stare dropped. His brows pushed inward as he observed the tiny creature in front of him. It was a small, pink animal with a large nose, ears, and a swirly tail. Riku said, "Did you… speak to me?"

"Yes, yes! M-m-my name is Piglet, and I was wondering-"

A gust of wind ripped through the valley, slanting the grass blanketing the plains. Piglet broke off into a holler as the force carried him into the air. Riku leapt towards Piglet and nabbed him from the wind's clutches. Once the phenomenon settled down, Riku placed Piglet back onto the ground. The tiny creature hadn't stopped shuddering. "Th-th-thank you, kind sir! Oh, if you hadn't saved me, I d-d-don't know how far away I'd end up!"

Riku glanced to the sky. The clouds hadn't moved an inch. "Why does that happen?"

"W-w-well, it's just that I'm so light!"

"Aren't pigs supposed to be…"

Piglet stepped onto his tippy toes and cupped his ear. "What was that?"

"Nothing," Riku said. He chalked it up to being an islander. He'd never seen a real pig in his life. "My name's Riku. I was wondering if you've ever met anyone by the name of Sora."

A wide smile brightened Piglet's face, and his shaking ceased. "Sora! Yes, we've all met him! He's our good friend, always helping us out with whatever we need! Why? Is he coming to visit soon?"

"Not exactly," Riku said. "I was wondering if I could help you with whatever Sora normally does. I'm here in his place, in a way."

"Oh! Are you and Sora friends?"

"Best friends."

"That's great!" Piglet said with a spring in his step. "The others will love to meet you! It's harvest season, so we spend most of our time giving Rabbit a hand. Follow me!"

Piglet skipped down a trail flanked by trees. Brown, red, and golden leaves hushed Riku's footsteps. Seedlings spiraled from the branches like tiny helicopters. Riku ran a hand through his silver locks, freeing them of fall's debris. Piglet stopped in front of a clearing and yelled, "Hey, everyone! One of Sora's friends is here!"

Something rustled in the forest behind Riku. He flipped around and spread his stance. A blur darted from branch to branch. It shot forward and struck Riku in the chest. The pair rolled along the ground until a pair of hands soft as mittens pinned his shoulders. Riku looked past a bright, pink nose to see black eyes staring back.

"Ooo hoo hoo ha hoo! Doesn't smell like Sora to me!"

"Tigger! I didn't say he _was_ Sora," Piglet said.

Rapid thumping on the ground caught Riku's attention. To his right, a person-sized bunny tapped its foot. "Would you get off of him, Tigger? You've rolled right onto my vegetable garden! With you around, it's a wonder I can grow anything!"

The orange-and-black-striped thing hopped off. It _boing_ ed on its tail as though it were a spring. A lisp strengthened its "S" tones when it said, "Whoops! Sorry! Tell the truth, I have a little trouble listening sometimes. Bit too much cotton in the ears."

Tigger laughed to himself and patted the ears atop his head. The bunny rubbed its hand down its face. "I apologize for him. Try your best to ignore him if possible. Who are you?"

Riku was careful to avoid the patches of toiled dirt when he stood. "I'm Riku. Sorry about your garden."

"Oh, it's not as if it's _your_ fault," the bunny said while shooting a glare at Tigger.

"In that case, I'll have to thank you for saving me from him, bunny."

The bunny's foot tapped faster, and it thrust its fists to its sides. "It's _Rabbit_ , not _bunny_!"

Wings flapped. A large owl perched on the fence marking off the vegetable patch. "Calm yourself, now! We've scared our new guest enough!"

His beak pointed from Rabbit to Tigger. They both grumbled a half-hearted, "Sorry, Owl."

"Yes, you quite should be! This reminds me of the time we met the latest addition to the Hundred Acre Wood – why, it had to be some thirteen long years ago, but the adventure is one that stands sharp in my mind even today let me tell you-"

An elbow nudged Riku's ribs. Rabbit crooked a finger at him. Riku leaned down, and Rabbit cupped his own mouth to whisper, "He'll go on like this for hours. Is there anything in specific you're looking for here, Riku?"

Riku whispered back: "Not in particular. I was wondering if you needed any help like when Sora was here."

"Ah. He helped us to complete the harvest, so there's not- oh. If you really want to help, there is one thing I can think of."

Rabbit whispered instructions while Owl rambled to the drawn clouds about a Heffalump. Riku nodded and waved good-by to Piglet and Tigger, but they had fallen asleep. He visited Rabbit's house nearby. The pot Rabbit had mentioned was a touch heavy but nothing to match a real burden.

Riku looked for the sign he had been told to follow. They were hard to read at first; most words were spelled incorrectly and some letters were written backwards as though a child had scrawled them.

He started down what he hoped was the correct path. Halfway towards his destination, a crisp sound like a page turning filled his ears. Day swapped to night like the flipping of a switch. Azure became navy and lazy clouds transformed into starlight.

The path spiraled around a tall, grassy hill. On the way up, Riku watched the stars and wondered what – or who – soared among them. The hill's crown allowed for a full view of the sparkling yellow cosmos sprinkled into the darkest night.

In front of Riku sat a familiar golden bear on a log. His elbow rested on his crossed arm, and his fist tapped his forehead. Riku blurted, "You're the one on the cover."

"Hm? Oh. Hello."

The bear's voice had a natural pleasantness to it. "Hey. You're Pooh, right? My name's Riku. I brought you this from Rabbit."

Riku rounded the log and set the pot in front of the bear, but he didn't move. "Oh. I appreciate the thought, but I'm not in the mood for honey right now."

"Really? Rabbit said you were crazy about the stuff."

"Normally, yes, but…"

Pooh tapped his forehead again and made a frustrated noise. Riku looked to the stars. At this point, he would walk away and try not to pry on others' business. He wasn't there for himself, though. He was there for Sora; he was there to do what Sora would have.

Riku sat on the log beside Pooh. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, bother," Pooh muttered. "I've been here for the past few days because it is my best thinking spot, and yet, I have not thunk anything worthwhile."

"What is it you're thinking about?"

"It's about a friend of mine. Sora," Pooh said. "Actually, you remind me of him."

Riku clasped his hands between his knees. "That's a wonder. Sora's my best friend."

"Then you might be able to help me with my problem," Pooh said. "You see, every time Sora goes away, I find myself awfully sad. He said we're always together in our hearts, but he even went away from there before the last time I saw him. I enjoy his company so much I'd hate it if that were to happen again. When he does visit, there's so much time between then and whenever he can come back. So you see, I've been thinking of a way to have fun in the Hundred Acre Wood again – all of us together. Only, I haven't come up with anything worthwhile…"

Stars winked. A breeze rustled the leaves and grass. Pooh said, "Oh, bother. I've gone and made you sad, too… Please don't cry, Riku."

"No, no, it's just-" His voice cracked. "It's just, I've been spending my days thinking about the same exact thing, Pooh."

"Are you saying you can't bring Sora here with you?"

"I'm afraid I can't."

"That's a shame," Pooh said, his tone and volume gradually lowering with each word. "Sora and I once sat on this log, and he promised I could see him anytime I wanted – right here. I thought coming here might make him show up somehow. They do call me a silly old bear…"

Riku shook his head. "You're not silly, Pooh. You miss him, and you're not alone in that. Sora was right, though. He lives on in your memories. As long as you have him there and know him as your friend, he _is_ with you."

"Memories?" Pooh said. "Oh bother. I've lost those once before. Does that mean, if it happens again, Sora will be gone forever?"

"No, because if it does, I'll come right back here and remind you."

Pooh smiled. "Thank you, Riku. That does make me feel better. I think I have decided I would very much like to have you as a friend, too. Is that okay with you?"

"Yeah," Riku said, and for the first time in a long time he could smile back. "Yeah, we're friends."


End file.
